When Prince Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji stepped onto the Old Trafford playing field on July 16th 1896 for the Second Ashes Test of the summer, history was made. Ranjitsinhji, or as nicknamed by his team-mates, ‘Smith’, became the first player of Asian descent to represent England at international cricket.

It may seem a long time ago now, but South Africa did do a very professional job in clinching their first Test series victory in England since their re-introduction to international cricket. Now on the horizon is the ultimate challenge – repeating the dose against the world champions in Australia. Victory here, and South Africa can lay reasonable claim to being the new team to beat.